The present Collection of Receipts has been selected and arranged with much care and a well-directed attention to economy; they are the results of a long experience, and will be found, on inspection, to contain nearly, if not all that can be esteemed essential for the production alike of a simply or a most elaborately furnished table.

It has been argued, and not without some reason, that not only is the work of a professed cuisinier above the comprehension of a less experienced cook, but that the receipts he furnishes will be found too expensive for private families. When this occurs, it is the fault of the author, who, being only accustomed to dress dinners for the highest circles, forgets that the tables of the middle classes may be furnished more handsomely than in their daily routine, and yet as inexpensively.

It has been the object of the compiler of The Illustrated London Cookeky Book to avoid this error, and to give to the public receipts, which shall enable them to place excellent and even high-class dishes upon their table, without putting them to a great amount of expenditure.

It will be sometimes found in the body of the work, that there are several receipts for the production of one result; wherever this is the case, each receipt presents some feature to make the change in flavour perceptible, and yet, in effect, equally palatable. Tastes without being false vary greatly, - so should made dishes, to meet the difficulty.

Nearly one hundred and fifty Bills of Fare have been appended to this collection, and, for reasons which, if not sufficiently obvious at a first glance, may in a few words be made apparent, so that their presence may be properly appreciated.

, In large establishments it is the duty of the cook to present in the morning, to the lady of the household the bill of fare, which he has drawn up for the day's dinner; she corrects it, substituting such dishes as she may prefer. Of course the cook attends to the order, and the dinner is served as desired; but in small families the entire selection of the dinner rests with the lady of the household, and whether it be for her own home circle, or for the entertainment of a few friends, the perplexing question constantly arises, "What shall we have for dinner?" A reference to the appended Bills of Fare, which are prepared, with one or two exceptions, that do not require to be illustrated, for every month in the year, will easily enable the lady to select her dinner, while the body of the work will teach the cook how to dress it. The Bills of Fare will be found most profuse for the Summer months, because, at that period, nature favours us with a much more extensive supply of esculents. Each will be found to present an elegant and recherche variety, and their arrangement has been formed with the view of producing in combination an assimilation of digestible foods.

They may be varied at taste, and can be extended so as to dine from two to two hundred persons.

The illustrations are numerous and useful; the engravings of kitchen utensils will be found of great service to a lady in furnishing this department. She will be enabled at once to know what will be required, and to order of her ironmonger accordingly. The inexperienced cook will necessarily prove them to be advantageous to her, for she not only has pictorially presented to her the instruments for the accomplishment of her art, but the uses and purposes to which each article is to be applied explained in a lucid manner. The other illustrations will tell their own tale.

A copious index has been annexed, arranged so as to facilitate reference to any receipt that may be required. It will be seen that the number of the page, and not that of the receipt is given; this has been done to avoid Confusion in overburdening the memory, and will be found to obviate difficulty in the finding of a particular dish when needed.

Wherever improvements, additions, or judicious alterations are found necessary in THE Illustrated LONDON Cookery Book, they will be attended to in subsequent editions, but it is believed that nothing has been omitted which can be of service Or importance to the purposes which a Cookery Book is intended to answer.